Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Ramos, Cory and Morality

After Ramos now comes Cory.
MLQ3 has posted two thorough posts about Cory's non-participation to the Council of state meeting
Here are the links to Manolo's post:
Cory Aquino’s statement on the Council of StateCory's Nyet
Predecessors have always been an anea in the gluteus maximus of the present leaders. There are of course several options to pacify, remedy or fix one's dear predecessors. In the last years of the Roman Republic things got bloody. Consuls were only allowed a one-year term. So by the end of x number of years the Roman Senate was packed with several ex-consuls. Some eventually went mad others mad with the quest for power, with terminal results - Pompey the Great, Crassus and Caesar.
Then of course Cory's call uses the rallying point called Morality while Ramos uses National Survival. But then don’t all politicians, clergymen, and power hungry laymen, and true idealists use the same rallying cries. Although in the case of the idealists they end up being used and conveniently dumped when of no use anymore. So does morality and nationalism just a cause to justify the means and the end? Probably, although there may be some semblance of desire to do good, which is a personal take on what is good.
Politics and noble goals, the sword and coat to thrust the unknowing populace. For me it is kind of useless to take these persons' declarations as gospel truths or oaths. Rather, they are the sweetener to coat their plans and actions. They are not saints or great leaders or conscience of the nations, they are but human like the rest of us.
Whenever a victorious general is honoured by a march in Rome, there is always someone behind him carrying a laurel leaf and uttering these words:
Respice post te! Hominem te esse memento
In English
Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!
And this Cory news actually reminds me of a Tagalog Idiom from Rosendo Igancio's book.
Ayaw-Ayawang takaw ... Pagkukunwari (hypocrisy - hipocresia)
Ignacio, Rosendo. Mga Kinamihasnang Salitang Tagalog (Tagalog Idioms -Modismos Tagalos).1963.